Foster Learning Humility

A Year of Searching for a Vanishing Virtue
1. Auflage 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5140-0213-1
Verlag: IVP Formatio
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 6 - ePub Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 192 Seiten

Reihe: Renovare Resources

Outreach Resource of the Year, Spiritual Growth In a society where raging narcissism dominates the moral landscape, the virtue of humility is often dismissed as irrelevant. Not only is humility vanishing from contemporary culture, but we are also witnessing how destructive a lack of humility has become among our churches and ministry leaders. And yet, Richard Foster, the founder of Renovaré, insists that humility is central to the journey toward character formation and spiritual transformation. For this reason he decided to spend a year studying the virtue of humility. Using the Lakota calendar as a framework, Foster provides us with a look into the insights he gathered from sources ranging from Native American culture to Julian of Norwich to Scripture to personal friends. By engaging with both the spiritual classics and Foster's own experiences, Learning Humility provides profound insight into what humility can look like in our current cultural climate. Join Richard Foster on the journey toward a life of humility, which he says leads us into 'freedom, joy, and holy hilarity.'

Richard J. Foster (DThP, Fuller Theological Seminary) is founder of Renovaré in Denver, Colorado. He is the author of many books, including Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth, which has sold over two million copies worldwide, Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home, Freedom of Simplicity: Finding Harmony in a Complex World, and coauthor (with Gayle Beebe) of Longing for God: Seven Paths of Christian Devotion.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Foster, Richard J.

Leseproben

The Hard Moon

JANUARY 1–28

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

JESUS (MATTHEW 11:29)

Because Christ had thus humbled Himself before God, and God was ever before Him, He found it possible to humble Himself before men too, and to be the Servant of all.

ANDREW MURRAY

AN INHERENT CONTRADICTION?

It is a beautiful cold morning and the meteorologist says it is supposed to snow throughout the day. So, I build a warm fire and decide I’m in for the day.

By now it’s mid-afternoon and I know that Carolynn will be nervous about leaving the mail in the mailbox overnight; mail theft is a real possibility in our rural area. If I collect the mail now Carolynn will rest easier tonight. Our mailbox is half a mile down the road and with this snow (fully seven inches now and well on its way to ten, maybe twelve) driving will be difficult. Thus, I decide to walk down and secure the mail. Besides, I am wondering if this little task just might be a small act of humility for me. I layer my clothes, take my trekking poles, and set out.

The road is quite deserted of cars—plow trucks have yet to come through. After collecting the mail I decide to leave the road and make my way back home through the woods. This route is more difficult. The snow is wetter and deeper than I thought and I am wishing I had worn my snowshoes.

The stillness of the woods allows me to meditate a bit on my humility project. I realize these journals could one day become public. Writing on this particular topic while knowing that others might someday read it carries with it an inherent danger . . . perhaps an inherent contradiction. I think I’ll just hold the matter before the Lord for now.

READING SLOWLY

Today The Cloud of Unknowing comes to mind. I think I remember two or three chapters in it devoted to the subject of humility. I’ll look them up and see what I can learn. With The Cloud I will need to take it exceedingly slow, sitting with any one passage for an extended time. In my past excursions into The Cloud I have tended to breeze through a section and afterward walk away confused. Or worse yet, I would arrogantly assume that the book has nothing to teach me. So, I need to remember that here slow, slow, slow is the way forward.

THE SUPREME TOUCHSTONE

Biblical passages on humility abound, but the supreme touchstone has to be the example of Jesus. Paul describes it so wonderfully that it is best quoted in full:

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,

who, though he was in the form of God,

did not regard equality with God

as something to be exploited,

but emptied himself,

taking the form of a slave,

being born in human likeness.

And being found in human form,

he humbled himself

and became obedient to the point of death—

even death on a cross. (Phil 2:5-8)

Once we begin thinking of Jesus as the touchstone for an understanding of humility we see that everything is there.

• Strength. Courage. Competence.

• No domination. No self-centered arrogance. No easy pushover.

THE DIVINE PARADIGM

By meditating on Jesus’ life we see humility take on flesh and blood.

• A humble birth in an obscure village.

• The growing-up years in quiet obscurity.

• Magnificent teachings to “the sat upon, the spat upon, the ratted on.”

• The Twelve chosen without regard to position or status or title.

• The wonder-filled miracles that did indeed draw enormous attention. And note carefully how Jesus handles all this fame without manipulation, without control, without domination.

• The borrowed donkey for his entry into Jerusalem; the borrowed room for his Last Supper.

• The disciplined silence throughout a mock trial and conviction.

• The enormous courage of suffering for the sins of the whole world. This has to be the supreme example of humility.

• The cry of abandonment, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani, My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”

• The cry of humble triumph, “It is finished.”

As I look at this all it begins to dawn on me that Jesus is indeed the divine paradigm for conjugating all the verbs of humility.

I’m also reading along in the many other Scripture passages on humility. So much to ponder—wow! I’m beginning to think I will need to take a private retreat in order to soak more completely in the biblical witness.

THIS LITTLE ACT OF LOVING

I found the pertinent section on humility from The Cloud. There are three key chapters—thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen. I think I will stay with them for a week or so and see what I learn. Here is a statement I especially like which connects loving contemplation to humility. I found it in chapter twenty-five: “As I said before, this little act of loving called contemplation mysteriously contains humility and charity, as well as all the other virtues.” I’ll need to sit with this one for a while.

STRUCK BY THREE THINGS

Coming back to The Cloud after several years away from it I am immediately struck by three things.

First, I am struck by the refreshing beauty of a non-self-promoting author. Today it seems that an author’s writing skills or whether they actually have something to say are far less important than the size of the author’s platform, how popularity can be increased, and how much coverage the author can garner. On and on ad nauseam. The Cloud’s language reveals an articulate and engaging author. But, while scholars have worked hard to discover the identity of this author, all efforts have failed. I rather imagine this is just the way our anonymous author wanted it.

I have no answer to our contemporary dilemma. But I am refreshed by the author’s complete freedom from human praise. Perhaps his/her personal obscurity is an important teaching in itself . . . teaching us that Christ should be the focus of attention and his followers become more unassuming, more kind, more humble. How would this teaching play in our narcissistic culture?

Second, I am struck by how dynamic and contemporary the message of The Cloud feels. The one specific detail we do know about this book is that our anonymous author is writing to a twenty-four-year-old who is also anonymous to us. Talk about speaking to the heart needs of Millennials! Here is a resource par excellence for the twenty-something person who wants to move beyond the superficialities of modern culture.

Third, I am struck by the gentle wisdom found in The Cloud. This is true for the entire volume, and never more so than when the author touches on the topic of humility. I wonder, What is the connection between wisdom and humility? I don’t know, I just wonder. I’d like to tease this out in the days ahead.

THE AWFUL RUST OF SIN

The Cloud’s guidance on humility is imminently practical and filled with pastoral care. It begins with the simple yet profound definition: “humility is seeing yourself as you really are. It’s that simple.” And I concur, “Yes, it is that simple.”

The word humility comes from the Latin humilitas, meaning “grounded” or “from the earth.” Think of our word humus (earth, soil). Hence, with humility we are brought back to earth. We don’t think of ourselves higher than we should. Nor do we think of ourselves lower than we should. No pride or haughtiness. No self-deprecation or feelings of unworthiness. Just an accurate assessment of who we actually are. Our strengths and competencies. And, yes, our weaknesses and shortcomings.

And this is exactly where The Cloud turns our attention. We have no idea if our anonymous author had read Aristotle, but he (could our author be she?) clearly understands the value of self-knowledge. “Self-knowledge is the only way to get and keep the virtue of humility.” The Cloud adds, “Don’t flinch in the face of the tremendous work involved. Get to know yourself. Yes, it is backbreaking labor. Embrace it. Through it, you’ll experience God as he is. I don’t mean you’ll know God completely. . . . But when you get to know yourself better as the mortal human you are, your soul grows in humility, and you’ll know God as fully as possible on earth.”

So, how do we experience this...